Needless to say there will be a lot of good reading for Tar Heel fans in the coming weeks. First, Art Chansky’s new book Light Blue Reign is due out on October 27th(be on the lookout for the THF review) detailing the history of UNC basketball. Now, it appears Roy Williams will be releasing an autobiography that promises to hold some previously unheard stories, some of which are previewed here by the N&O. The most interesting one of the lot is this:
After he turned down the Carolina job in 2000, Guthridge – who coached Williams on the UNC freshman team, then was an assistant with him under Dean Smith – “essentially” didn’t speak to him for three years. In 2003, when Williams took the job the second time it was offered. Guthridge was among those at the airport in Chapel Hill welcoming him back. “That was a little uncomfortable for me; we hadn’t really talked for three years and I knew he had been very mad at me,” Williams says. ” … I gave him some leeway because I would always think of him as my coach.”
I would not have pegged Bill Guthridge to act this way, but then again I would never have thought that Guthridge would need to be restrain from attacking a referee following the 1991 National Semifinal loss to Kansas. The lesson here? Don’t piss Gut off.
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Quite a story about his father. I’ve seen interviews before, and maybe the Coke commercial about his mom taking extra work as a seamstress for Roy to have an extra dime or quarter. Always had an impression he was in a single-parent home, which based on the story is +/- right.
Gut get mad. You not like it when Gut is angry.
I can’t wait to read Roy’s book! I am actually getting it signed! He’s coming to a bookstore near my house in Raleigh and he’s signing books. Which means… I GET TO MEET ROY WILLIAMS!!!
Apparently you can’t spell Guthridge without g-r-u-d-g-e.
Other than being a loyal assistant to Dean Smith since the dawn of time, just why are we supposed to think of him as being in the same company as Coaches Smith and Williams?
It is always interesting to try and understand how successful people whom we admire get where they are. Usually there is a lot of talent, hard work and luck involved. But often there is a motivating aspect to one’s history that drives the mix. So it will be interesting to read about it. One admirable side of Roy Williams is that as he has had no need to write or reveal more about his past he has still chosen (apparently) to do so. Maybe as he has more openly acknowledged his position in Chapel Hill and consolidated his achievements and over time made them his own it has become easier to reveal this history as well.
Preorder on Amazon!
THF,
In John Feinstein’s book (And I know we have to consider the source considering where he went to school and who his source is considering the latest Barnes story), Dave Odom talks about when Wake Forest played a home game against Kansas a year or two after Roy turned Carolina down and Guthridge left.
Odom says he called and asked Dean and Guthridge if they wanted to come to the game considering it was Roy and he would let them have access to back entries and things to avoid crowds and such.
Odom said he was perplexed when he heard back from them that they had no interest in attending. And Feinstein goes on to further add that the only reason Guthridge decided to quit when he did because he was assured Roy was coming. And that Guthridge was mad at Roy for leaving them holding the bag…